The global demilitarization of munitions is producing millions of pounds of surplus explosives. Historically, surplus explosives have been disposed of by open burning/open detonation (OB/OD). The disposal of these materials by OB/OD is becoming unacceptable due to public concerns and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) is a reasonably powerful high explosive that's thermal and shock stability is considerably greater than that of any other known material of comparable energy (S. F. Rice et al., “The Unusual Stability of TATB: A Review of the Scientific Literature”, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif., UCRL-LR-103683, July 1990). It is used in military applications because of its significant insensitivity to thermal and shock environments (B. M. Dobratz, “The Insensitive High Explosive Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB): Development and Characterization—1888 to 1994,” Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, N. Mex., Report LA-13014-H, August, 1995). In the civilian sector, perforating guns containing TATB have been designed for deep oil well explorations where heat-insensitive explosives are required. (W. E. Voreck, et al, “Shaped Charge for a Perforating Gun Having a Main Body of Explosive Including TATB and a Sensitive Primer”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,974). TATB is also used to produce benzenehexamine, an intermediate in the synthesis of new, advanced materials. (See D. Z. Rogers, “Improved Synthesis of 1,4,5,8,9,12-Hexaazatriphenylene,” J. Org. Chem., 51, 3904 (1986) and R. Breslow, et al, “Synthesis of the Hexaaminobenzene Derivative Hexaazaoctadecahydrocoronene (HOC) and Related Cations, J.Am. Chem. Soc., 106, 6453 (1984). In addition, the use of TATB to prepare components of liquid crystals for use in display devices has been described (K. Praefcke and B. Kohne, “Amido Compounds as Components of Lyotropic Liquid-Crystal Phases, Ger. Offen. DE 3,612,238 (1988); Chemical Abstracts, 108, 159109n.)
The conversion of picric acid or ammonium picrate into picramide often involves the use of noxious, toxic chemicals (SOCl2, POCl3, NH3). The direct conversion of picric acid to picramide is disclosed by E. Y. Spencer and G. F. Wright in, “Preparation of Picramide,” Canadian Journal of Research, 24B, 204 (1946). This procedure describes the reaction of molten picric acid (173° C.) and urea to produce picramide in the form of an intractable glass. The major drawbacks to this procedure are: (1) molten picric acid, especially at such an elevated temperature (173° C.), is a recognized hazard; (2) the picramide is produced as a solid glass product that cannot be safely and efficiently removed from an industrial scale reactor; and (3) cyanuric acid is produced as a co-product with picramide and must be removed by extraction.